The Humble Indie Bundle was a project that allowed users to purchase
collections of multi-platform DRM-free games developed by independent (indie) studios in a pay-what-you-want
manner. Whether you thought the games deserved 10 dollars or 10 cents, you got the whole bundle, without any
restrictions. The revenue from the project was distributed among the developers, some of whom decided to release
their work as open-source, others using the funds to create new games and sequels, as well as donating some to
charity.

All in all, you may think greedy people would have botched the whole deal. But no. The project was a tremendous
publicity as well as a marketing success. In just one short week, each of the two Bundles offered to date earned
more than one million dollar in sales, proving that you do not need huge corporations to distribute games to
users. More importantly, people appreciated the effort and did not abuse the system - much.

During the short offering of the second Bundle, users who paid more than the average purchase value got the first
Bundle as a gift. A total of eleven games, for the price of whatever you think ought to be paid. Well, I did it.
Now, in addition to paying for the games, I decided to write a review of both Bundles, in order to promote the
awareness to this noble project, as well as give you a hands-on look on the quality of offered content.

We'll have two articles, this first one reviewing the original six games offered in the first Bundle.

World of Goo

I have reviewed this lovely game in the past. Moreover, I declared it as one
of the top five payware games for Linux in 2010. The demo is available
in most repositories. For a while, it was also bundled with Sabayon
Linux.

So here's what World of Goo is all about: After playing all day long killing and mutilating people, World of Goo
is an excellent respite from violence. It's an innocent yet challenging, all-family game of intellect, with a
very surprising, addictive twist. Who would have thought that blobs of goo and some physics could be such a hit?
Indeed, it's the simplicity of the game matched with a scientific twist that makes it so popular with just about
anyone. Be they kids, adults, geeks, everyone can enjoy World of Goo. But
what's it all about?

World of Goo is a beautiful, compelling puzzle game with a strong focus on physics. Using the word physics can
frighten people, so you should know there are no nerdy equations waiting for you. The puzzles all focus on little
blobs of goo, which you need to lead to an exit pipe by constructing structures like bridges and towers, fighting
gravity and terrain. The physics is all about having fun in a world constrained by physical forces, just like our
own. Solving the puzzles requires some ingenuity, as well as basic 3D spatial intuition. The puzzles become
increasingly difficult as you progress through the game chapters, with the Z axis and vectors added.

The game is very simple in its premise, which is what makes it so great. You do not have to invest hours
digesting the game interface or learning to rules. You start having fun instantly, and tons of fun at that. Add
some light music and quirky cut scenes, and you're in for a big treat.

Truth to be told, I was skeptical about the game the first time I tried it. But after only a few moments, I was
having tons of fun. It's weird, but it works. You get addicted. For a very strange reason, the World of Goo
graphical settings creates a soft, pleasant backflashes that remind me of Leisure Suit Larry, sans the Woody
Allen elements, and the original Worms, sans the bazooka moments. You know you're playing an entirely different
genre, but you get a cozy feeling of long familiarity that should not have been there. It's a true testimony to
game's success.

The game price tag is USD20 - and it's definitely worth it. So if you've donated as little as 20 dollars, you
have justified your purchase. But this is just the first game we're talking about.

Time spent playing the game

4 hours

Overall impression

Excellent

Quality of graphics

8

Aquaria

Aquaria is an underwater exploration game. You play Naija, a mermaid-like creature. The game reality occurs in a
2D sidescrolling world, which consists of cave-like maps, where Naija learns about her past, as well as acquires
skills and items that can help her interact with other creatures.

I must admit I was baffled by the game concept. Naija cannot interact directly with her surroundings. She must do
that by singing. This is a unique mechanism, which I've not seen in any other game. It's a bit frustrating for a
long-time diehard FPS fan like myself, but after a while, you get to relax, enjoying the soft, soporific music
notes. In a way, you're like them blue Avatar people, who can link
into Mother Nature's fiber optics channels and communicate with plants and animals. Similarly, Naija uses her
song to change shape, defend herself and move object. The combination of swimming, singing and some combat is
what makes Aquaria a unique, yoga-inducing game. The music and atmosphere are soft and soothing.

As a musical retard, I had a hard time learning and repeating notes. With its rather non-violent nature, this
game is definitely not for everyone. It takes patience and out-of-the-box thinking to get things done. But it
could be a good candidate for children. Overall, Aquaria is a unique, beautiful project. You should take it for a
spin.

Time spent playing the game

1.5 hours

Overall impression

Good

Quality of graphics

7

Gish

Gish is an interesting physics game, which somewhat looks like the original Blobby volleyball, except that it combines 2D art with some cool physical
properties of viscoelastic polymers, or, in other words, tar. Gish is the namesake hero of the game, a blob of
tar, who needs to rescue his kidnapped girlfriend by fighting a series of other, evil blobs of tar. Apart from
the cheesy plot, the game is about making the best use of the tricky, gooey properties of your character to
defeat gravity and recoil forces as you wrestle your enemies.

Gish can solidify, stick to walls, jump, roll, expand, and a few other tricks. All of these are your weapons
against cunning foes. Now, you can play by randomly hitting the keyboard and hope for the best, or you can try to
master the arcane properties of non-Newtonian physics to your best
advantage. Educative and yet rather fun. The game is simple, predictive and addictive. If you're not in a mood
for too much thinking, the slow undulating motion of a tarball [sic] will do. Gish is a nice, simple action
title. Rather recommended. Oh, you can also play against other people, so it's a whole family fan.

Time spent playing the game

1.5 hours

Overall impression

Good

Quality of graphics

5

Lugaru HD

If I told you there's a game where you play a murderous bunny named Turner, who tries to avenge his rabbit family
and friends, you'd laugh and tell me to lay off my medicine. But like Toribash and Yo Frankie!, Lugaru is
a complete understatement of wicked violence, wrapped in a fluffy coat of innocence. Yes, you may be a cute
veggie wabbit with big tufted ears, but you're also the murderous little thing from Monty Python's King Arthur.
Oh yes. Chuck Norris meets the Freedom Burger.

The game does not have any fancy graphics. In fact, it looks rather uninviting. But the moment you start playing,
you're hooked. Slashing attacks, roundhouse kicks, John Woo bullet time effects and
Carmageddon blood spattered banners of encouragement. That's
what Lugaru is all about. You're a merciless killing machine, whipping your knife and sword and battlestaff
against all kinds of forest creatures. Definitely, not something for children, as they might get the wrong
notion. But for adults, this is great fun. Simple, senseless, as good as any first person shooter. Quite the
opposite of what you may expect.

The combat is also quite sophisticated. You can disarm your opponents, jump Matrix-style, disengage, wrestle,
perform all kinds of double and triple combo chop attacks and kicks. You'll never think of squirrels, rabbits and
other innocent animals in the same way. Lugaru is great fun, just make sure you give the game to people who can
understand its violent nature. Overall, it's a surprising title, with an underestimated quality of play and
challenge.

Time spent playing the game

3 hours

Overall impression

Very good

Quality of graphics

5

Penumbra Overture

Overture is the first of three games in the Penumbra Trilogy. This is a very realistic horror quest, so please
make sure to keep children away. The first episode tells the tale a thirty-year-old physicist (that used to be
me!) Philip, who comes to Greenland after receiving a letter from his supposedly dead father. On Greenland,
Philip discovers an underground mine and he stumbles in, beginning a quest of terror and panic in a cold, dark,
suffocating, and not-so-earthly world hiding beneath the layers of ancient Greenland ice.

The game focus is on elaborate 3D puzzles, played in the first person view. To advance through the game, you have
to figure out ways to operate machinery, devices and doors and overcome obstacles. On top of that, there are some
typical First Person Shooter fighting elements, as well as task completion.

The gameplay is wrapped in a disturbing mantle of morbid, truly frightening scenes. Even if you do not play the
game in full darkness, it still leaves an unsettling feeling in the pit of your stomach. Of course, this is the
whole idea, and the game builds the atmosphere all too well. For horror connoisseurs, this in an ideal setting. I
have to admit I don't have the guts to see the game through to the end. If you were old enough to play the 7th
Guest, the 11th Hour and original Alone in the Dark puzzle-oriented, horror games in the heyday of DOS, then you
will surely remember the chilling, blood-curdling sensations, the revulsion and genuine fear. Penumbra Overture
offers a similar experience.

Fear side, Penumbra feels like a very expensive game. It's deep and engaging, carefully tailored and well
designed, with decent graphics and attention to details. Quite recommended for the fans of the horror quest
genre. The suspense and the atmosphere are rather disturbing, a testimony to the success of the execution. But
like Lugaru, this game is not for young minds. Oh, I reviewed the trilogy not so long ago, so take a look please.

Time spent playing the game

2.5 hours

Overall impression

Very good

Quality of graphics

9

Samorost 2

Samorost 2 is an adventure/puzzle game played entirely in Flash inside the browser. In fact, the full game is a
collection of .swf files and a web page to load the game maps. In the game, you try to rescue your dog, after it
has been kidnapped by aliens. To complete the game, you need to solve several puzzles. Simple yet challenging.

I was skeptical about the game, but then I read it was developed by the same people behind Machinarium. BTW, Machinarium is featured in the second Bundle, so we will talk
about it separately. Anyhow, you get the same quirky yet beautiful art, retro-futuristic and yet somewhat 70s
Czech in nature, an overall pleasant and warm combination.

The puzzles are not easy to solve. I fumbled for more than an hour with the kettle, trying to figure out what I
needed to do. I did manage to get the monkey to shake some herbs into the pot, operate the gas valves and the
tap, but I have yet to figure out how to get the water streaming through the pipe on the left. There's some
armadillo-like thingie blocking the pipe, but nothing yet. Rather curious and unique.

Samorost 2 is not your typical game, but it looks like a lot of fun. It's also suitable for all audiences. If
you're not into racing or shooting people, solving puzzles could be your thing.

Time spent playing the game

2 hours

Overall impression

Good

Quality of graphics

8.5

More reading ...

If you're interested, I wrote about the Humble Bundle in my News article a
few months ago; I guess it's no longer a news article, but the information might be useful. There's also quite a
bit more on Wikipedia.

Conclusion

World of Goo, Lugaru and Overture alone each justify the Bundle purchase. As it is, you get these, as well as
several other games. Now, Aquaria, Gish and Samorost2 are less fully featured, but still very decent titles.
Personally, my taste leans away from them, but you will still find them quite lovely. Moreover, the games all ran
well on Linux, with very simple and quick installations, no errors, no problems.

Overall, the first Humble Bundle is a package of good fun and action. It's definitely worth its money, whatever
you may have decided to invest. In fact, if you've paid any less than the total sum of their standard prices,
you've made yourself one hell of a bargain. Next week, we'll review the second half, with five more games. For
the time being, have fun.